Grilled Pork Chop with Smokey Peach Vegetable Quinoa – $1.40

Three of my favorite things to eat in the summertime are grilled meat, corn and peaches. Here’s a lovely, surprisingly light dish that’s perfect for the warm weather ahead and PERFECT for a weekend evening meal.

Before we get started, go ahead and get your grill going and water in a large pot boiling. Who says rich people get all the grilling fun? Phooey! You don’t have to have a fancy gas grill… in fact, charcoal/wood chip grills make your food taste exponentially better than gas. It’s worth the effort.

So go ahead and finely chop up 3-4 stalks of celery. Don’t cut your celery like flippin’ horseshoes. This isn’t Denny’s! (something my chef used to always tell me)

Now finely chop up 1 medium sized onion.

Now finely chop up a carrot or two- whatever your preference. Finely mince a few garlic cloves as well. Set all these veggies aside in a big ol’ bowl. Minus the garlic, this is essentially mirepoix (pronounced mer-pwah): a mixture of 2 parts onion, 1 part celery and 1 part carrot. This is an excellent base for soups and many other dishes, FYI.

By now your big pot o’ water should be boiling. Stick your corn in for just about 4-5 minutes- just enough to sort of blanch it. While that’s going, check on your grill.

Go ahead and start making 1-2 cups of raw quinoa however you’re used to making it. Quinoa lasts pretty long while sitting in the pot after it’s technically done cooking, so you could actually do this way ahead of time if you prefer.

By now your grill should be good to go. Put your blanched corn on, plus 1 peach on the grill, flesh up. You’ve got a beer or wine in your hand, right?

Cook until your peach is uncomfortably darkened. Don’t worry, you’re going to peel the black off and the skin as well.

Don’t mind the other pieces of meat here, I’m just focusing on the pork chop. While you’ve got your grill hot, why don’t ya’ throw on some other pieces for the rest of the week?

While your pork’s cooking, go back in and chop up about 1/2 bunch of green onions… or scallions… or whatever.

Now that your grilled corn is a bit cooled off….

…You’re gonna cut it all off.

So, in a very large, nonstick, heated, greased saute pan or wok, add your mirepoix (carrots, celery, onions, garlic) and a big pinch of salt.

Once your mirepoix has some nice color on it, add your corn. Because I didn’t use stock to cook my quinoa, I knew the flavor was going to be a little flat. So in another small bowl I mixed a few tablespoons of water, 3 chicken stock cubes and about 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke. Alter that any way you want- use stock to cook the quinoa, don’t use liquid smoke, I don’t care… BUT that smokey flavor was pretty bangin’ with the peach and pork.

Now add your fluffy quinoa. Don’t forget about your grilled pork!

Add your green onions but keep some for garnish, and 1 fresh chopped peach, keeping a few beautiful slices for the garnish. Hey, and don’t be thrown off by the peach. You’ll LOVE the sweetness with the smokey pork!

Stir carefully or it’ll be mush.

Plate a portion.

Put your pork on top, plus a few peach slices and scallions. Mmmmm good!

 

• 1 onion – $.69
• 1/3 bunch celery – $.79 for whole bunch (on sale) 1/3= $.26
• 1 carrot – $.19
• 3 cobs of corn – $.75
• 1/4 bunch green onions – $.25 (whole bunch for $1 on sale)
• 2 peaches – $.52
• 2 cups dry quinoa – (Whole bag – $3.99) 2 Cups= ~$1.00
• Total Amount for 6 Servings quinoa – $3.66 (WOW!)
• 1 serving quinoa – $.61
• + 1 pork chop – $.79 (on sale)
• ________________
• 1 Serving – $1.40